Just as she stepped onto the stage to accept her trophy, a swarm of reporters burst through the doors.
Microphones thrust toward her face.
"Someone has reported you for academic fraud. They claim this paper was plagiarized. Care to comment?"
"We've heard you're a student of Professor Fabian Morton at Southport University. Sources say you got into the Pruitt Research Center through the back door. Is that true?"
"No!" Doris tried to push the microphones away.
She was panicking, though she fought to keep her composure. "I wrote this paper myself. It has nothing to do with anyone else."
"But someone has provided the original manuscript." A female reporter in glasses held up photocopied documents, her tone sharp and relentless. "It bears Professor Sara Pruitt's signature and editing marks—dated three months before your submission."
She stepped closer. "We also have chat logs showing you asked Professor Morton to give you first authorship. How do you explain that?"
The color drained from Doris's face.
Her eyes darted frantically toward Fabian.